RED WALL FALLS
Labour smashed in Northern towns as Workington Man takes his Brexit revenge by voting Tory
LABOUR'S Red Wall has been demolished by Boris Johnson as the "Workington Man" revolts against Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit chaos.
A total of 27 Labour-held seats in constituencies which have loyally voted red for decades fell - as an astounding Tory wave swept the northern heartlands.
20
20
Areas which have formed the backbone of Labour support for most of the last century such as Bishop Auckland, Wrexham, Burnley and Workington all turned blue on a night which has redrawn the political map of England.
The "Workington Man" was identified by pollsters at the start of the election campaign as the key for victory for the Tories.
Focus groups showed how badly Corbyn and his muddled stance on Brexit, weakness on national security and anti-Semitism went down with northern voters.
And it saw the Tories romp home by more than 4,000 votes, in a seat that Labour had held for 98 years.
The "Beast of Bolsover", Labour's Dennis Edward Skinner, was ousted after 49 years as MP for the Nottinghamshire seat.
And in another hammer blow the party's shadow Brexit spokesperson, Jenny Chapman, lost her Darlington seat to the Conservatives. A seat which had been red since 1992.
What we know so far:
- The Tories secured a majority to see home a landslide victory after crushing Labour
- Jeremy Corbyn said he would quit after Labour's disastrous result and not lead the party in another election
- Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson loses Dunbartonshire East seat
- The pound has surged to its highest in almost three years after the exit poll
- John McDonnell faces intense calls to quit after Labour's disastrous result
- Boris Johnson thanked voters in the "greatest democracy in the world"
- But the SNP surge north of the border means Boris could face another fight on Scottish independence in future
- Nigel Farage boasted that the Brexit Party have done a great job - despite them not predicted to win a single seat
- Ken Livingstone sparked fury blaming 'unhelpful' Jewish voters for Labour's exit poll
Northumberland's Blyth Valley had already turned blue, for the first time since 1950 - with Labour later conceding in Bishop Auckland with a huge Tory victory.
And more so-called “Red Wall” of around 60 Labour marginals from Yorkshire to Wales, characterised by seats like Bolsover in Derbyshire and Crewe in Cheshire, are set to follow suit and crumble tonight.
Labour party chair Ian Lavery told the BBC: "This is a Brexit election. A re-run of 2016.
"I'm desperately, desperately disappointed. I am surprised, in some ways, but unsurprised in others."
FOLLOW THE ELECTION ACTION ON OUR LIVE BLOG
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
RED WALL FALLS
THE Conservatives are on their way to a thumping victory as they snatched key seats from Labour overnight.
So which parts of the Red Wall are crumbling?
- Workington: the Tories took Labour's northern heartland overnight for the first time since 1979.
- Darlington: In a blow to Labour, the party's shadow Brexit minister Jenny Chapman lost her seat to the Tories. The party has held the seat since 1992.
- Blyth Valley: The Northumberland constituency fell to the Tories overnight for the first time since 1950.
- Sedgefield: Tony Blair's former safe seat was snatched by the Tories with a majority of more than 4,000.
- Wrexham: Labour has held this seat since 1935 - with the Tories scooping the seat in a momentous win overnight.
- Leigh: The Tories snatched this constituency from Labour who had held it since 1922.
- Blackpool South: Conservatives took this seat which has been Labour since 1997.
- Delyn: Labour-held since 1992 was taken by the Tories in this astonishing election.
- Gedling: The Conservatives won out in this seat, traditionally Labour for the past two decades.
- Heywood and Middleton: The first Tory MP in the constituency’s 36 year history has tonight been voted in.
- Bishop Auckland: Labour lost a seat they have held since 1935 as the Tories took a hammer to the Red Wall.
- Wolverhampton North East: Labour lost out in this constituency, which has been Labour's since 1992.
- Burnley: This long-held seat, Labour's since 1910, went to the Conservatives.
- West Bromwich West: Labour since 1974, this constituency has now turned blue.
- Hyndburn: This Lancashire seat has been with Labour since 1992, before being taken by the Tories tonight.
- Don Valley: Held since 1922, this seat in Doncaster, fell to Boris' hammer overnight.
- Bassetlaw: Another long-held Labour seat - since 1934 - voters chose a Tory MP.
- Barrow and Furness: Labour since 1992, this Lancashire red heartland was painted blue tonight.
- North West Durham: This northern strongold has been Labour-held since 1950, but has been taken by Tories.
- Bury South: A Labour seat since 1997, voters gave Conservatives the majority.
- Rother Valley: A red seat for more than 100 years, saw it's first ever Tory MP since 1918.
- Ashfield: This consituency voted in its first Tory MP since 1979.
- Birmingham North: Labour held this seat since 1992 - tonight it turned blue.
- Stoke-on-Trent Central and Stoke-on-Trent North: Conservatives have bagged both these consituencies after having a majority since 1950.
- Bolsover: This seat has been held by Labour MP Dennis Skinner since 1970 - tonight he was ousted after 49 years.
- Bury North: The Tories and Labour have tussled over this seat since 1983, but the Conservatives have wrestled control back after nine years.
As decades of political habits were ripped apart in a momentous election, Wrexham, in a heartland of Labour voters, tonight turned blue after 84 years.
Tony Blair's former safe seat of Sedgefield was snatched by the Tories with a majority of more than 4,000.
And in another huge blow to Jeremy Corbyn's party, the long-held constituency of Leigh was won by the Tories.
More bricks began to tumble from the Red Wall as Blackpool South was taken from Labour control in the early hours, before another key Labour seat, Wolverhampton North East, was lost to the Tories.
The people of Burnley, a Labour-held seat since 1910, voted a Conservative MP in for the first time in over 100 years.
And the constituency of Heywood and Middleton has now got its first Tory MP in its 36 year history.
In another shock set of wins for the Tories, Delyn turned blue for the first time since 1992, while Gedling - Labour since 1997 - fell to the Conservative campaign.
A traditionally held Labour seat, West Bromwich West, was felled by the Tories, before Hyndburn was also taken by the Conservatives.
Bassetlaw, held since 1934 by Labour, and Barrow and Furness, held since 1992, were both lost to the Tories in huge swings.
And the constituency of Don Valley moved to Conservative control tonight, after being Labour's for almost 100 years.
20
20
20
Just before 4am it was announced North, West Durham, held by Labour since 1950, had gone to the Conservatives, before a red seat since 1997, Bury South, also went the same way.
Grimsby North, Labour since 1945 has been handed to the Tories, while the Rother Valley seat, manned by Labour for over 100 years, was lost to the blue wave sweeping the country.
The seat of Ashfield has become Conservative after 40 years of Labour power, and Birmingham Northfield - Labour since 1992 - saw a Tory win.
And the northern powerhouses of Stoke-on-Trent Central and Stoke-on-Trent North saw Tory wins tonight - something not achieved since 1950.
Ian Levy, the new Tory MP for the Blyth Valley, became tearful as he thanked his family and Mr Johnson.
20
20
He said: "I would like to thank the people of Blyth Valley. If the people of Blyth Valley hadn't voted, I wouldn't be here tonight.
"Finally I would like to thank my wife Maureen, my children Andrew and Alice. And I would like to thank Boris.
"I'm going to be on that train on Monday, I'm going to London, we're going to get Brexit done.
"We are going to build a strong economy for the UK and do that together."
Sterling rose almost two per cent from $1.3162 to just under $1.34 this evening, minutes after the astonishing Opsos Mori survey was published.
The PM tweeted: "Thank you to everyone across our great country who voted, who volunteered, who stood as candidates. We live in the greatest democracy in the world."
Blyth Valley hadn't been predicted to turn blue tonight -meaning Mr Johnson's victory margin could get even bigger than the exit poll predicted.
Former Chancellor George Osborne said on ITV: "We never thought we would get Blyth Valley."
Labour's Gareth Snell admitted to the BBC he expected to lose his Stoke seat to the Tories, blaming the party's Brexit strategy and leadership.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The third General Election in less than five years has been largely dominated by the 2016 vote to leave the European Union - with Labour pledging to give voters another say in a second referendum, while the Tories have vowed to take the UK out of the EU next month.
The last election in the UK in 2017 saw a 68.8 per cent turnout, higher than at the 2015 and 2010 elections - with bookies offering 6-4 odds on a 65-70 per cent turnout this year.
20
20
20
20
20
20
Voters take adorable pups to the polls as canine tradition returns for General Election